Post navigation

It is often best to dispense with the formalities when it comes to Pokémon; we all know that it is hugely popular, has sold millions of units of games, DVDs, toys, and cards around the world, and is recognised by many RPG fans as one of the greatest of all time, at least on the Nintendo handheld consoles, if not in general. It comes as a great point of interest therefore when you can find a great free-to-play, flash-based incarnation of the franchise.

The main series of Pokémon games stretches across five generations and includes a huge number of games as well as 649 Pokémon for you to collect and battle. In parallel to the main games, there also exist a number of spin-off titles that take the Pokémon name and attempt to create a Pokémon experience that is simultaneously familiar, yet entirely different in format.

To the untrained eye it may seem that the two apparently alien genres of RPG and Tower Defense aren’t made to work all that well together. To those who have experienced the incredible blend of Pokemon RPG action with a tower defense format that is central to the Pokemon Tower Defense series, however, it is obvious that the two genres actually go together extremely well. The original Pokémon Tower Defense is still an extremely popular game but even more popular is its sequel, Pokémon Tower Defense 2. With more variety, a better structure, and weekly updates to the game that continue to be released, this game is one of the few out there that adapt over time to the needs of the audience, with any bug fixes and changes being made regularly so that the developer, Sam Otero, can keep bringing the highest standard of gameplay to the thousands of loyal fans out there.

The main series of Pokémon games seem to have an appeal that none of the spin-offs can possibly match. This appeal is almost certainly down to the unchanging format that the game is based on that has us catching, training, and assembling a Pokémon team of our own choosing to see us through our wild battles, trainer encounters, gym fights, and the fight against the evils of the Pokémon world.

Pokémon is big business: the truth in this statement is reflected in the fact that the main series of Pokémon is currently on its fifth generation, with the sixth currently in production and due to become a reality later this year with the release of Pokémon X and Y. In between the main-series games, fans always have the opportunity to keep themselves occupied with some of the spin-offs whilst they wait for the next big game to arrive. The Pokémon Ranger series is a unique take on the Pokémon idea, and is arguably the best of all of the spin-offs of the main series. Pokémon Ranger: Guardian Signs is the latest in the Pokémon Ranger series that involve the capturing of Pokémon in a manner far removed from the main series of games; rescuing the Pokémon is the aim here, and eventually setting them free is the ultimate goal.

Ever since Pokemon games were released for The Gameboy Color back in 1997 their popularity has gone from strength to strength. For us loyal fans this is no surprise at all as the games are so well produced plus they are really addictive. Ruby and Sapphire editions follow on in this great tradition of games, that are now available for the Gameboy Advance.

Pokemon Trading Card Game is a deviation from the usual Pokemon editions to make it a card collecting game. Nintendo have done this very well, while like the previous editions the card game is once again very addictive. The premise is similar to the previous games except instead of collecting monsters you collect cards from the eight card club masters to become a top card master rather than a top trainer.

Pokemon Crystal, the addictive Nintendo RPG game was released in Japan enabling players to connect to Nintendo’s game server via their mobile phones. They could play out battles with other players or join in events by dialling up at a set time. There are a few additions to the previous editions but this was the main marketing point to entice players to invest in Pokemon Crystal.

Let the games begin! This Gold & Silver Edition is the start of something really big and I mean really big! It has a massive two hundred and fifty one Pokemon characters, some new some familiar, over five hundred Trainers, one hundred or so new moves plus sixteen badges to win all in magnificent colour. I hope you have plenty of time on your hands because you are surely going to need it. Pokemon Gold & Silver is just what fans have been waiting for and then some, making it a must buy for Pokemon fans everywhere.

Yet another superb edition in this fantastic series of games for Gameboy released by Nintendo. Pokemon Yellow is based on the Pikachu character who is so cute, it is hard not to pick up this edition, even if it is a little similar to the Blue and Red releases. There are however one or two small differences to keep fans happy so you will definitely want this one for your collection.